


Hearing Damage

by GeorgeWeasleysGirl (hattersgirlalice)



Category: Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-04
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-07 01:58:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16844869
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hattersgirlalice/pseuds/GeorgeWeasleysGirl
Summary: George is having trouble hearing after he loses his ear.





	Hearing Damage

George Weasley rubbed the side of his head again trying not to let Fred see him do it. He ran his hand through his hair to cover up. The rest of their family was easy to fool, brushing things off with jokes, but Fred was different. Fred was almost a part of George or maybe George was a part of Fred. Secrets were not a thing between the Weasley twins; still George tried to keep his hearing problem from his brother.

Why he was having a difficult time hearing was beyond George. Surely only the outer shell of his ear had been damaged. Maybe Fred was right. Could something be wrong with his hearing?

“Do it again and we are going to St. Mungos,” Fred said slamming his hands down on the table in front of George.

“I’m fine you git,” mumbled George not looking up at Fred. He stared down at the parchment he was working on with a new product and began scribbling down more ingredients and what they could do in the potion.

“You are a liar, George,” Fred hissed. “You are a bloody liar!” Fred rushed around the table so fast that George was startled. His chair was yanked around so he was face to face with his twin bending down over him. “Do you know what I did last night? I stayed awake watching you sleep. I watched you twist fitfully and rub the side of your head. You made the damn thing bleed in your sleep and I had to clean up after you.”

“What the hell, Fred,” shouted George trying to pull away, but Fred had his hands gripping the arms of the chair.

“If you touch your ear again, I’m taking you to St. Mungo’s! No. NO! We are going now!”

“And what are you going to tell them? Huh?” George continued shouting.

“STOP shouting you BLOODY IDIOT!” Fred shouted right back. “We are idiots. We don’t have to tell them anything in particular. If they can save your hearing then we need to do something before it’s too late.”

George was having a difficult time looking at Fred. He felt many emotions. He was scared, he was in pain, he was overflowing with gratitude toward his brother. Suddenly he pulled Fred into a hug. Tears were springing to his eyes as he felt Fred’s arms wrap around him and squeezed him tight.

“Let’s go,” Fred said softly. “Let’s just go, please.” He pulled back guiding George up with him.

Nodding, George followed Fred out of the shop, locking up behind them. Soon they were in the reception area of St. Mungo’s. George was very nervous as they waited for a healer to help them. Fred did not show so much affection now, but George could tell his brother was sitting closer to him than normal.

When they met the healer finally, they had very little questions for them. Apparently their reputation was known at the hospital. She nodded and hummed and put George through several hearing tests. Finally she sat back with her clipboard and sighed.

“Mr. Weasley, there is definite hearing loss. That was a dark curse whatever it was and it is very clear that we cannot get the ear to grow back.”

“And my hearing?”

The healer sighed again. “Now, it should have only been a little bit of hearing loss. The outer shell of the ear helps to guide sound into the inner ear, but I think maybe whatever did this was just too close and there is definite damage in the inner ear. You are not going to be completely deaf. Not anytime soon at least, you know, things go with age, but your left ear may soon lose all ability to hear.”

“And there is nothing we can do?” Fred asked.

The healer tapped her quill on her parchment. Her lips were pursed. “We have a trainee healer,” she said slowly. “She is completely deaf. She was born that way, but she is experimenting and working on a way to cure deafness with magic. I know the two of you. My son has one of those Extendable Ears.” She shot them a glare and automatically she got twin grins. “I think, that if I put you two together with her… you just might succeed in her plans.”

“We would love to meet her,” Fred said with a suave grin, wagging his eyebrows.

The healer narrowed her eyes at him. With a wave of her wand a light flashed out and zipped out of sight. Moments later a young witch with long dark hair appeared in the small room. She smiled brightly at the twins and raised her hands to speak with the other healer.

“As you can see, Miss. Quigley,” the healer spoke aloud as she signed. “Mr. Weasley here has a missing ear and I believe some hearing damage. You know the Weasley’s.”

The Quigley girl nodded enthusiastically. She made signs with her hands smiling at them.

“She says that she has seen you before at the World Cup. Her father is a beater for the Irish National team.”

Both Fred and George looked up at her with surprise and delight. They nodded back at her realizing her father was the one who smashed Krum’s nose. Fred clapped his hands and pretended to bow to her. The girl made more signs to the healer.

“She is asking if she can do another examination of you just so she can better understand what is wrong with your ears. Katie is a very hands on healer. She’s not much for looking at books and notes to get an idea of things, although she is very good at that as well. First hand experiences are what she wants and we do not have many willing to allow her to work with them. That is why I suggested her.”

George nodded and motioned for her to come on over. Katie Quigley did the exact same exams as the other healer frowning in concentration the entire time. George watched her out of the corner of his eye. She was absolutely lovely. Her long dark hair formed curtains around her face making a beautiful frame. He could look at her for days, but eventually she pulled back signing once again to the older healer.

“She is saying that she agrees with me about your partial deafness in your damaged ear. She believes that it could go either way. In other word’s she is very hopeful in being able to cure you. Slow down, Katie,” the healer suddenly admonished and Katie blushed. “No. No need to apologize. She started to go on about muggle prosthetics, but that is out of our hands. You would have to see muggle surgeons about that.”

Now George blanched and Katie began to make what he could only assume were apologies. Her hands were making calming motions and she was blushing horribly now. He grabbed her hands in his and shook his head grinning at her.

“Tell her it’s okay. It’s something we can think about later.” He winked at her and she blushed even more if that was possible as she turned to the other healer to see what he had said.

Nodding she backed away from George. 

“If she is going to be working with George, we are going to have to communicate with her somehow.” Fred said frowning a bit.

“Sign language should be fairly easy for the two of you to learn, but there are always Quick Quotes Quill and wand writing.” 

Katie pulled out her wand and wrote the world hello in the air in blue smoke-like letters and grinned. Fred and George did the same with their wands and soon they had set a time for her to come to the shop the following evening to begin work on learning sign language and working on a possible cure.

The boys were very fast learners. Within one evening they had learned quite a bit of sign language. They had taken a wit sharpening potion before she had arrived to help them.

As they worked together, all three bent over some parchment with ideas and diagrams of the inner ear, George shifted closer to Katie. He enjoyed the hours of actual silence they were having with her around. Sign language was so beautiful especially when Katie was signing. There was something about her. She got so excited while examining their blueprints for Extendable Ears and looking at an ear herself. He remembered how he had shivered when had jokingly held one up to the hole in the side of his head and sighed that now he looked better before gently punching him in the shoulder. He laughed as she beamed at him.

George volunteered to walk Katie out of the shop that evening. He could not help it. At least Fred seemed to have backed off with his flirting when he had realized that George liked her. George did not have to walk her all the way out to the disapperation point, but he wanted to.

“I will see you tomorrow,” Katie signed as they reached the point. 

George nodded absently not looking her in the eye.

“Is there something wrong?” Katie signed nudging him in the shoulder.

“No. No, nothing is wrong. I just…” He bent his head to look her in the eyes. “My eldest brother,” he began, but lowered his hands. Katie stared up at him with a small smile. “My eldest brother is getting married in a few days. Would you like to come with me to the wedding? As my date.”

Katie smile and blushed. George could not help but to stare at her. He hoped beyond hope that he had gotten all the signs right. After several moments Katie nodded at him.

“I would very much like to go to your brother’s wedding. Maybe-maybe we could go out before then… and after?”

George grinned widely at her. Hearing damage be damned. Losing his ear was suddenly the best thing in the world. “That sounds like a very good plan.” Slowly, almost timidly, George leaned forward and brushed his lips against hers. Unexpectedly, Katie wrapped her arms around his neck, careful of the wound on the side of his head and deepened the kiss.

When they broke apart they were both grinning madly. Katie stood on tip toe and lightly pecked his lips again before disapperating with a wink. George made his way back to the shop and up to the flat where Fred had prepared dinner.

“Got a date to the wedding then,” Fred asked knowingly after a glance at George’s goofy grin.

“Yes,” George signed to his brother unconditionally. “And at least two other dates.”

“Now, I think you owe your brother a little something. If not for me you would have never met her.”

George rolled his eyes and shoved Fred away from him. Katie was going to be special. She was something to keep him going through the upcoming war, he just knew it.


End file.
